Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 452-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LCI(L)-645 | Hull: 645 | Designation: LCI(L) |
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-645-lcil645-pkt-452-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(R)-645 ex USS LCI(L)-645 (10/15/150645) - full designation timeline, flotilla assignment, campaign, specifications, disposal (history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II, Turner Publishing 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150645.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, Orange TX photo caption (James Swank)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 2 June 1944 at New Jersey Ship Building Corp., Barber, NJ; launched 30 June 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-645, 8 July 1944; reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Rocket) LCI(R)-645, 15 March 1945, LTjg. F. X. Wright, USNR, in command. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific: LCI Flotilla Sixteen (CDR C. E. Coffin USN), LCI Group Forty-Six (LCDR A. F. Eckelmeyer USNR), LCI Division Ninety-Two. Campaign: Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation 26 March - 30 June 1945; Flotilla Sixteen rocket-group chart places LCI(R)-645 in Task Group 52.20.3, in reserve. Occupation service in the Far East 5 September - 21 October 1945. Decommissioned date unknown; struck from the Naval Register 25 February 1946; one battle star for WWII service; transferred to the Maritime Commission 17 December 1946; final disposition fate unknown. Photo caption documents ex-LCI(R)-645 astern of ex-LCI(G)-471 among LCIs tied to trees along the Sabine River at Orange, TX, circa 1946. Specs: 216 t. light / 234 t. landing / 389 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; complement 3+21 (LCI(L)) / 3+31 (LCI(R)); troops 6 officers + 182 enlisted; cargo 75 tons; 8 GM 6051-series-71 diesels (4 per shaft), GM reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp, two 30 kW diesel-driven generators; LCI(L) armament 4 x 20mm + 2 x .50 cal; LCI(R) armament 1 x 40mm + 4 x 20mm + 2 x .50 cal + 6 x 5" rocket launchers; call sign NPNW.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); embarked troops (capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted); shipbreakers/buyer unknown post-1946
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track the Naval Register but the page itself credits the Turner USS LCI history (ISBN 1-56311-262-0), which is itself a compilation. No asbestos or material content. 'Decommissioned, date unknown' and 'fate unknown' are carried as published gaps, not resolved here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-645-01
-
[3]History of Company 'E', 503d Parachute Battalion/Regiment (wartime unit history, transcribed on corregidor.org, the 503d PRCT heritage site) [other_primary]
- Locator
- corregidor.org History of Company 'E', 503d - entries for 8 and 9 March 1945
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A wartime unit history documents troops aboard this hull in the Philippines: '8 March [1945] - Company loaded on LCI(L) 645. / 9 March - We disembarked at San Jose, Mindoro, and moved back to old camp area.' The embarkation occurred six days before her reclassification to LCI(R)-645, while she was still configured and employed as an infantry landing craft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-03
- Population
- Company E, 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment (embarked troops, 8-9 Mar 1945); LCI(L)-645 crew
- Limitations
- Unit-history document hosted on a veteran-heritage site (transcription of a wartime record, not the original document image) - establishes that Company E, 503d Parachute Infantry, was embarked for a short lift on Mindoro; it is not a Navy deck log and records no material or maintenance detail. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-645-02
-
[4]Naval Marine Archive (Canadian Collection), 'New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber NJ' - yard history and full LCI build table (shipbuildinghistory-format compilation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/emergencysmall/newjersey.html - yard narrative + build table row for hull 645
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Build table names this hull: New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber NJ - LCI(L) 645, US Navy landing craft, delivered Jul-44, 'Struck 1946' - consistent with NavSource dates (commissioned 8 Jul 1944; struck 25 Feb 1946). Yard context: 'an assembly line for LCIs on Arthur Kill, in Barber, a community immediately to the east of Perth Amboy which was later absorbed into Perth Amboy and is now called Maurer. Management of the yard was taken over by Todd Shipyards in 1942, at the Navy's request, and was closed after the war.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (1942-45); Todd Shipyards yard management
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of shipbuilding records (navalmarinearchive mirrors the shipbuildinghistory.com dataset), not a government source - used to corroborate builder and delivery, not as the sole basis for any milestone. Contains no asbestos or material content; yard asbestos conditions at New Jersey Shipbuilding are undocumented here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-645-03
-
[5]USS Natrona (APA-214) ship history (veteran-published, deck-log-derived), R. Padden site - March 1945 Okinawa transport-area entries [other_primary]
- Locator
- rpadden.com/214/214-history.htm - entry for 27 March [1945], Inner Transport Area George
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A deck-log-derived ship history of USS Natrona (APA-214) records this hull at the Okinawa transport area: '12:35: USS LCI 645 came alongside to take on fresh water and diesel oil. 14:32: Completed transfer... having delivered 3,000 gallons of fresh water and 2,000 gallons of diesel oil' on 27 March 1945 - the day after the Okinawa Gunto operation period opened. Corroborates the NavSource-documented campaign assignment with an alongside-service record from a named attack transport.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-03-27
- Population
- LCI-645 crew alongside USS Natrona (APA-214); transport-area working parties
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation: a veteran-maintained ship-history page transcribing deck-log entries for USS Natrona - the underlying deck log is at NARA (undigitized) and was not directly examined. Establishes presence of the hull in the Okinawa transport area on 27 March 1945 and a routine alongside replenishment, nothing more. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-645-04
-
[6]NARA Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units' (ship-number list), PDF page 19 [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF p. 19: 'LCI(L)(R)-645 7/8/1944 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's published deck-log index lists holdings for this hull under the combined designation 'LCI(L)(R)-645' covering 7/8/1944-6/30/1945 - beginning on her documented 8 July 1944 commissioning date and running through the end of the Okinawa Gunto operation period (the record series lists the craft under her later LCI(R) designation). Deck logs covering the full Pacific deployment, the LCI(R) conversion, Okinawa, and the start of occupation service are confirmed to exist at NARA College Park.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-07-08 to 1945-06-30 (log coverage)
- Population
- Crew (1944-45, logkeepers); future researchers pulling RG 24 deck logs
- Limitations
- Index-level confirmation only: SL44 documents that the logbooks exist in NARA custody and their date span; the logs themselves are not digitized and were not examined. Whether digitized muster rolls or war diaries also exist for this hull is probable per the pattern for sister hulls (e.g., LCI(L)-596: NAID 120241519 muster rolls; LCI(R)-643: Okinawa action report + war diaries Feb-Jul 1945, per NARA History Hub) but unconfirmed - the NARA catalog search interface is JS-rendered and could not be queried from this network. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-645-05
-
[7]HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945: Landing Ships and Craft' (ONI Bulletin 226-derived compilation), LCI(L)-351 class and LCI(R) class blocks [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-lc.html - LCI(L)-351 Class block and LCI(R) class block/hull table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class-level documentation of her type: the LCI(L)-351 class block lists 385 tons full load, 160'4", 23'3" beam, 15.5 knots, 5 x 20mm, complement 4 officers + 25 enlisted, capacity 9 officers + 200 enlisted or 75 tons cargo, '2 sets G.M. diesel engins; twin variable-pitch screws, 1600 BHP'. The LCI(R) block lists complement 3 officers + 31 enlisted, armament 1 x 40mm + 4 x 20mm + 6 x 5" rocket launchers, '8 GM diesels, twin screws', converted from LCI(L)s and LCI(G)s; its hull table lists the LCI(R)-642-651 group (which includes 645) as commissioned 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- LCI-class crews and embarked troops (1943-46 era)
- Limitations
- Class-level characteristics only - the class blocks blend production variants and differ from the NavSource per-hull spec block on complement (4+25 vs 3+21 as LCI(L)), length (160'4" vs 158'5.5"), and LCI(L) armament (5 vs 4 x 20mm); NavSource ship-specific figures are carried in the record fields and the variance is logged in gaps. The class note 'converted while building' describes the LCI(R) type generally; this hull commissioned as LCI(L) in July 1944 and was reclassified in service in March 1945. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-645-06
-
[8]Transport Doctrine, Amphibious Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet (September 1944), Chapter II 'Characteristics of Landing Ships, Landing Craft...' (official USN doctrine, transcribed at HyperWar/ibiblio) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar transport-2.html, Section 3, paras. 206-208
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official wartime USN doctrine describes the LCI(L) type this hull belonged to: two main types (side-ramp and centerline-ramp), oceangoing with good cruising range but too slow to accompany Assault Transport Groups; troops aboard practically limited to ~48 hours for the side-ramp type; centerline type rated 9 officers + 173 men for 6-8 days, 185 for 2 days, 223 for under 24 hours. The same chapter records that the need for close-in fire support 'resulted in the conversions of LCI(L)s into Gunboats, (LCI(G))' - the conversion program family to which her own LCI(R) reclassification belongs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- LCI crews and embarked troops (1944-45 doctrine)
- Limitations
- Type-level doctrine, not a hull record - describes the LCI(L) class's design employment and the official rationale for gunboat/rocket conversions; names no individual hull and contains no material or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-645-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications for this hull (8 GM 6051-series-71 diesels, diesel generators, no steam plant - ev-01); HyperWar class blocks confirming the diesel plant (ev-06); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation (ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ev-01 NavSource propulsion block; ev-06 HyperWar class blocks; ev-09 GAO program context
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered steel landing craft built in mid-1944 at a wartime emergency yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel craft of this type and period were diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery and piping insulation in the engine room, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation - within a small, confined hull volume where embarked troops and crew lived immediately adjacent to machinery spaces. As a diesel craft she carried no boilers or steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); embarked troops; post-striking lay-up/disposal handlers (1946)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, work package, or survey was located for LCI(L)-645/LCI(R)-645. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no present-day presence. Diesel configuration materially narrows the application set relative to steam vessels.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-645-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1944) and service era (1944-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-645-09
-
[11]War Production Board / Civilian Production Administration, 'War Industrial Facilities Authorized July 1940-August 1945' (GovInfo digitized federal document) [federal_register]
- Locator
- GOVPUB-P32_4800-1226d01b08d0c7bf2f8de2cbd75b80cc.htm, alphabetic facility list, 'new Jersey shipbuilding co PERTH AMBOY N J'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A federal WPB/CPA directory of authorized war industrial facilities lists 'NEW JERSEY SHIPBUILDING CO PERTH AMBOY N J' among ship-construction concerns - government corroboration of this hull's builder as an authorized wartime facility (Barber is the Perth Amboy waterfront neighborhood where the yard stood, per the navalmarinearchive yard history in ev-03).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1940-1945
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding yard workforce (war years)
- Limitations
- Facility-level listing only: establishes that the builder operated as an authorized war industrial facility at Perth Amboy, NJ - says nothing about what materials were used there and names no hull. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-645-10
-
[12]Batch-5370 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page (live-verified); corregidor.org 503d unit history; navalmarinearchive NJ yard table; rpadden.com Natrona history; NARA SL44 deck-log index (digitized PDF); HyperWar class blocks + Transport Doctrine; WPB/CPA facilities list (GovInfo); NHHC DANFS check (no entry exists); NARA catalog probe (JS-blocked); CourtListener API v4 opinion + docket searches; usslci.org association site; secondary litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-645-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming LCI(L)-645 / LCI(R)-645 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion searches on five name/hull variants and a docket search on 'LCI-645' all returned zero (authenticated API v4); two further docket/phrase variants were fleet-paced and could not be run - logged as blocked, not negative. The only 'asbestos aboard landing craft' material found is law-firm marketing content (asbestos-ships.com and similar listicles asserting asbestos without primary sourcing) - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2026-09-30
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - deck logs (RG 24), BuShips work packages, and Maritime Commission disposal records for this hull are undigitized leads, and two CourtListener variants remain open (paced). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-645-11